Emeli Sande to headline Stephen Lawrence tribute concert next year

Emeli Sande will headline a tribute concert marking twenty years since the murder of Stephen Lawrence next year.

The SL20 concert will take place at London’s O2 Arena on April 18, 2013. The tribute is expected to feature a number of big name acts with Sande, who has performed at the opening and closing ceremony of the Olympics, headlining the event. A memorial service will also be held at St Martin-in-the-Fields in central London on April 22, the exact day Lawrence was murdered in 1993.

A series of ‘SL20 Anniversary Events’ will take place in 2013, including the Stephen Lawrence Legacy Ball next autumn and a dinner hosted by Labour leader Ed Miliband. “Speaking at a launch event for the concert, Lawrence’s mother said: 2013 is a significant milestone for me personally and for the Trust. It’s a time for reflection but also for looking ahead.”

Stephen Lawrence was killed by a gang at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London in April 1993. Gary Dobson and David Norris became the first people convicted over the killing in January this year.

Emeli Sande has had a hugely successful year in 2012 with her Olympic performances helping boost sales of her album ‘Our Version Of Events’ and making it iTunes most popular album of the year ahead of releases by Ed Sheeran, Adele and Lana Del Rey.